Simulating Rain Droplets Influence on Distance Measurement with a Time-of-Flight Camera Sensor

Abstract

Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera sensors measure simultaneously the light intensity and the scene distance on a pixel basis. Environmental effects, like rain droplets between the scene and the ToF camera, have an impact on the distance accuracy of the sensor. Optical raytracing simulations were performed to study rain influence in detail. The 3D simulation setup comprises all relevant elements including the sensor design, the object/scene geometry and a model for the environmental conditions. Specifically, a setup with small-angle ToF camera optics is investigated and a comparison of the influence of several typical rain intensities is presented. The simulation results serve as an input for developing error-compensation algorithms.

Keywords

• Time-of-Flight
• ToF
• automotive sensor
• optical simulations
• accuracy
• rain droplets
• environmental influence